(Bloomberg) -- Representative Ro Khanna said he won’t run for the US Senate seat in California that’s opening up in 2024 and backed fellow progressive Democrat Barbara Lee.

Khanna’s announcement on CNN’s “State of the Union” means he won’t be among candidates vying to replace Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, who announced in February that she won’t seek reelection.

Khanna, 46, said he concluded that “the best place ... for me to serve as a progressive is in the House of Representatives, and I’m honored to be co-chairing Barbara Lee’s campaign for the Senate and endorsing her today.”

Khanna has previously expressed an interest in the seat, but told Bloomberg News he wanted to see whether Lee, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, runs. Lee, who like Khanna is northern California, announced her bid in February. Also in the race are Representatives Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.

Feinstein, first elected in 1992, is the Senate’s longest-serving Democrat and its oldest member. She has been recovering from a case of shingles.

 

 

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